Parc Olbius Riquier, Botanical garden and zoo in Hyères, France
Parc Olbius Riquier is a seven-hectare municipal park in Hyères that holds about 2,000 trees and cacti from around the world, including Howea forsteriana and Araucaria araucana. Its exotic greenhouse shelters palms, bamboos, banana trees, agaves and hibiscus, while the grounds also contain a lake with a waterfall and fountain, a small animal park, and a palm grove first planted in the late 19th century.
The park was established following an 1868 bequest by Olbius Hippolyte Antoine Riquier and opened in 1872 as an extension of the Paris Acclimatation Garden. This collection grew as part of the European movement to bring exotic plants into public garden spaces.
The park's name honours Olbius Hippolyte Antoine Riquier, who left the Clos Riquier to Hyères in his 1868 will. From 1872 the grounds housed the Jardin d'acclimatation d'Hyères, an annex of the Paris acclimatisation garden, where tropical species were cultivated and studied for possible acclimatisation in France. A palm grove created at the end of the 19th century by Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire is among the first true palmeraies.
The park is free to enter and best visited between April and September, opening from 7:30 AM until sunset. Visitors can enjoy activities such as pony rides and a small train ride, which are especially appealing to children.
Free-roaming peacocks inhabit the grounds while mallards swim in the ponds, creating surprising encounters between wildlife and garden design. This natural coexistence makes each visit unpredictable and offers glimpses into the region's animal life.
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